1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reproduction device for reproducing image data from video disks to provide images, such as background images for karaoke system.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image karaoke system is for playing accompaniment music of a song to be sung while displaying the song lyrics superimposed on a background image. Conventionally, there has been known an image karaoke system which reproduces data, from a video disk on image, lyric, and music for each song desired to be sung. Because data for several thousand songs must be stored in each device, an establishment which provides an image karaoke system for its customers must keep an extremely large number of video disks on hand. A special video disk housing case is provided to the image karaoke system for housing several video disks. An autochanger is provided for changing the video disks according to a request by a karaoke user. The space taken up by the autochanger and the special housing case has given rise to a need for a more compact device, especially in establishments that provide karaoke for customers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,438 has proposed a more compact device for solving the above problem, wherein image data (video data) is stored separately from song data. While the song music is played, a background image formed based on the image data is displayed with the lyrics superimposed on the background video. The image data which becomes the background image is stored in video disks. For example, each video disk stores two kinds of image data, such as those appropriate for genres of Japanese ballads (Enka) and popular songs. A video reproduction device is provided for reproducing the background image from the video disks.
With this karaoke system, a background image is retrieved from a video disk according to the genre (i.e., pops, enka, and the like) of the selected song. Ordinarily, background images are sequentially retrieved from the video disk, mixed with lyric data for the selected song, and displayed with the lyrics superimposed thereon.